My two cents, Toyota DID put profits ahead of customer safety

DainBramaged

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Sun Feb-21-10 09:43 PM
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My two cents, Toyota DID put profits ahead of customer safety

Now it's coming out. It's what those of us who are in the industry and those who have been following this story (while those on DU who for YEARS bashed the shit out of me for believing in and standing up for the Domestic auto industry) knew all along. From the sludged up engines of the 90's and earlier this decade that they tried to blame on the customers even when many of them GOT THEIR OIL CHANGED REGULARLY AT THE TOYOTA DEALER, Toyota still tried to put the blame on them. Then there was the case of the truck frames rusting so badly spare tires were breaking free (along with axle assemblies) and careening down the road while Toyota tried to blame it on the 'overuse' of salt in the Northeast and Midwest, when in fact it was happening all over the country. WHY? Because they loaded the frames with recycled steel in manufacturing (rust never sleeps) and cheaped out on anti-corrosion measures, the customer suffered.

Now these fuckers are trying to dodge a HUGE bullet because of unintended acceleration, bad breaking design in their precious Preus (and a hearty shout out to all of you who thought you got greenwashed by buying one)and now a possible defect in the electric steering in their little Corolla. What is wrong with these people? And they were PROUD of how they fooled the US Government into accepting their versions of the problems. How dishonest.

Toyota saved $100 million by limiting recall

Toyota officials claimed they saved the company $100 million by successfully negotiating with the government on a limited recall of floor mats in some Toyota and Lexus vehicles, according to new documents shared with congressional investigators.

Toyota, in an internal presentation in July 2009 at its Washington office, said it saved $100 million or more by negotiating an "equipment recall" of floor mats involving 55,000 Toyota Camry and Lexus ES350 vehicles in September 2007.

The savings are listed under the title, "Wins for Toyota � Safety Group." The document cites millions of dollars in other savings by delaying safety regulations, avoiding defect investigations and slowing down other industry requirements.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35510079/ns/business-autos/

They DESTROYED auto manufacturing and the living wage in the South where they burrowed in and fooled so many Governors and Senators into thinking they were the economic salvation their states needed, when in fact Toyota just didn't want to pay for SKILLED UNION TRAINED CRAFTSMAN in the rust belt where they have been making cars for 100 years. And then to top it off, they enjoyed an uneven playing field in Japan, where we can't even establish a manufacturing plant or import virtually ANY Domestic built cars because the standards and restrictions on AMERCAN CARS are so over the top it is virtually impossible to own one in japan. Yet Buick is the NUMBER ONE selling car in China. Go figure.

What's wrong with this picture people? DO you really think that piece of iron you are driving is really safe and well made? Have you been blinded by the PR firms Toyota and Corporation japan have used for years to convince us that their crap is better than the crap we once made here?

I told you all so. I told you all to the point of nearly being tombstoned numerous times. The rooster has now come home to roost. You can have your japanese shitboxes and death traps. We make better cars and we just proved it. NEVER in the history of auto making has a manufacurer ever had their entire line of vehicles recalled at the same time. Toyota has achieved that status alone. And so many here wanted GM and Ford to simply fail and get out of the way of the japanese machine.

Looks like the machine done got recalled.